Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-11-02
In THE HOLY CITY.
What an American Bishop Saw la
Jerusalem and Vicinity.

Bishop Watterson, after a protractea
rip TO the continent and to the HOW
Land, gives his isexperience in Jerusalem.
lie says: After spending nearly d mont
- Rome 1 landed at Alexandra, am
eft Egypt filed with feelings of in enss
sagerness to be among the historic
Genes of the Holy Land. Landing al
lana L journeyed TO Jerusalem, where
| Yenerated at sacred places both IL
md around the Holy City. | said mass
II the Chapel of the Holy Sepu.cher
md was obliged to sleep in the church
Ill night To De able to do so, as Turk
'sh soldiers close 1t at certain hours III
he evening, and will not allow any
one TO enter until a certain hour III
the morning. | then went on to NaZ-
areth through Samaria, taking country
routes everywhere, for otherwise one
misses many very interesting localities.
The only evidence of modern civiliza-
CiOu l could see in the Holy Land was
telegraph running between Jaffa and
Jerusalem and Nazareth. Otherwise
the country is just as 1t was two thous-
and years ago, as far as progress Is con-
cerned. Children and grown people
wear the same cut clothes, and every
where one could see maidens dressed
Just as we are familiariZed with pic
lures of the Virgin Mary. On one
occasion L telegraphed to Nazareth for
horses, where they are less used, and,
therefore, fresher than at Jerusalem.
After four days the horses came in
charge of dragoman VINO had form
ally been a Bedouin, but-who has for
some years been a convert. He was a
very good fellow, but too anxious to
KAffh Ia is fn G.fi iSfu
tions. l was continually obliged To keep
IN the lead in order to press on.
lone day 1 said to him: Il see now
why you became a Christian; you are
too slow TO be a good Bedouin.' He
laughed and said nothing, but on the
last day of our journey from Mount
Carmel to Nazareth, when 1 was push
Ing on to get under shelter before
nightfall, he SAID:
e'You told me the other day that /
became Christian because L was too
slow to make good Bedouin. All that
l have to say is that L could make as
good Bedouin as you do bishop
81 appreciated the retort none the
less because it took him so long to
consider II"
What were your most striking OBJ
servatlons in the Holy LandY''
"Ah, that would take a book to
tell, " sighed the bishop. "It is lmpos-
sible to convert the people from Mo-
hammedanlsm under the present form
of government. The Turks are as
watchful to-day as they were three
hundred years ago. All the converts
have either TO be taken under lmmedi-
ate protection or sent off to France or
Italy. There can be no progress in any
form for the Holy Land until the
Turkish Government is got rid of. 1t
would have never existed were it not
for the apathy OF Christian nations.
Russia is very desirous of possessing
Palestine, and she is making more
headway there than any nation. The
sisterhood which has obtained a foot
Ing in the Holy Land is growing Ia
influence. Mohammedans and Jews
alike. attend their schools, but the
nuns, are not allowed to teach religion.
During my whole four weeks in the
Holy Land 1 could see nothing to indi-
cate that this cradle of Christianity en-
joyed ever so slight a share of its in
herltance.
When in Jerusalem Bishop Waiter
son and another prelate assisted the
Patriarch of Jerusalem in the cere-
mony of rendering to the young Prince
of Naples. the Crown Prince of Italy,
religious reception into the Holy
City, which the young man, according
to ancient custom, entered on foot. 1t
was a great sight, an immense process
sion OF monks and the religious ac-
companying the Patriarch and the
Bishops.